Broom-handle.



' P'ATENTED MAR. 13, 1 906. E. T. ATWBLL.

BROOM HANDLE. APPLICATION FILED MAYG. 1905,;

SW1 x UNITED sTATEs PATENT oE IoE.

ERNEST TAYLOR ATWELL, or WAUKOMIS, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

' I BROOM-HANDLE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed May a, 1905. Serial No. 257,730.

. Patented March 13, 1906.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST TAYLOR AT- WELL, a citizen of the United States of America, residingv at Waukomis,.in the county of Garfield .and Territory'of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Broom-Handles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a detachable handle for brooms and other implements, the obj ect of the invention being to provide a handle and means for detachably securing the same to the head of ,a broom or other implement, whereby when the broom-head or implement is worn out the handle may be quickly and conveniently detached therefrom and attached to another broom-head or implement, the construction thus being adapted to permit. the handle to be repeatedly used. i

A further object of the invention is to provide a fastenin connection whereby the handle may be mly united to the socket fixed to the broom-head or implement and yet conveniently disconnected at any time.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the application of the invention to a broom. Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views through the socket looking in opposite directions toward the shank of the broom-handle secured therein. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on a line through the center of the shank of the handle, and Fig. 5. is a detail view of the locking key and wedge.

Referring now more particularly to the drawin s, the numeral 1 designates the head or brus portion of a broom, which is provided with the usual handle-receivin socket 2, and 3 designates the broom-handle.

The bore 4 of the socket is formed with an upper cylindrical portion 4 and a lower flaring portion 5, and at its upper end the cylindrical portion 4 is outwardly curved or flared to form a seat-6. The handle 3 is provided at one end with a reduced tang or shank 7, provided at its oint of junction with the body of the hand c with a rounded contact portion or shoulder 8, adapted to engage the seat 6 when the shank or tang 7 is inserted in the socket and limit the downward movement of the handle, and at the sametime form a firm abutment to prevent independent play of the parts. Below the shoulder 8' the tang or shank 7 is split or di-' vided by a longitudinal slot 9. Secured to the handle immediately above the shoulder 8 is a plate or strip 10, which strengthens the handle at that point and forms a guide and stop for a locking-key 11. The key fits and slides longitudinally in a guide groove 12, formed in the tang and communicating at its upper end with an enlarged groove or mortise 13, formed in the base portion of the body of the handle and extending a short distance above the up er end of the plate or strip 10, which latter ridges or extends across said mortise. The key 11 is provided with an offset upper end 14, which bears against the inner face of the plate or strip 10 at the front of the mortise 13, and is'provided with a terminal finger-piece 15, projecting outwardly beyond said mortise and adapted to abutagainst the upper end of the plate 10, whereby the downward movement of the key is limited. I

- The lower end of the key is formed upon one side with a wedge 16, having its thin or edge end upwardly directed and projecting normally into the lower end of the slot 9 in the tang or shank 7. By this construction it will be seen that when the finger-piece 15 is moved upwardly in the mortise 13 to the dotted-line position shown in Fig. 4 the key will be moved longitudinally upward and the wedge 16 forced into the slot 9, thereby spreading the sides of the tang 7 and expanding the same into contact with the lower flared portion 5 of the bore 4 of the socket 2, thus securely fastening the handle to the socket. Upon forcing the finger-piece 15 down into the mortise again the wedge 16 will be restored to its normal position, (shown in Fig. 2,) thus permitting the sections of the shank to move together by their natural elasticity, whereupon the handle may be easily disconnected from the socket. If desired, the flared portion of the wall of the socket may be coated with a roughening or adhesive material, such as rosin, to prevent any possibility of the slipping of the shank when expanded therein. By the construction of parts described a detachable handle is'proroc vided which may be conveniently applied 7 and removed and repeatedly used in connection with a number of broomheads, thus obviating the necessity of providing a handle for each broom-head.

IIO

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In a detachable handle, the combination of a socket, a handle having a split shank to enter the socket, and a sliding operating element carrying a wedge havin an upwardly-directed point adapted to be drawn between the portions of the shank to spread the same apart and into frictional engagement with the walls of the socket.

2. In a detachable handle, the combina tion of a socket, a handle provided with a split shank and having a longitudinal groove extending above the shank and terminating in a mortise, a stop-piece inclosing the handle above the shank and below the upper portion of the mortise, and a key sliding in said groove and mortise and provided at its lower end with a shank-expanding wedge and at its up er end with a finger-piece projecting latera 1y from the mortise and adapted to be limited in its downward movement by the stop-piece.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST TAYLOR ATWELL.

Witnesses:

C. MORRIS, J. D. SCARBOROUGH. 

